


A Dragon's Gem

by De_Mimsy



Series: A Dragon's Gem [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon!Yuuri, Dragons, Elves, Falling In Love, Fantasy AU, Fantasy Typical Violence, Fights, Getting to Know Each Other, High Fantasy, M/M, Mage!Victor, Mages, Magic, Mentions of Blood, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shapeshifting, Strangers to Lovers, graphic eating of prey, medieval greenpeace mages
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 00:44:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15131348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/De_Mimsy/pseuds/De_Mimsy
Summary: For ages mages, elves, humans, dragons and other magical creatures have lived in peaceful coexistence, but when humans found out about the secret of gems and their relation to magic, they began their hunt, resulting in the population of magical creatures shrinking over time. However, a group of mages decided to save and protect as many creatures as they could.When one of the last ice dragons gets captured by hunters, the mage Victor comes to free him and to take him to their shelter. Temporarily turned into human form, the dragon and Victor get on their journey, finding more along the way than they could’ve dreamed.





	A Dragon's Gem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am more than thrilled to finally show you the story that I wrote based on [hiighnooning](http://hiighnooning.tumblr.com/)'s [art](http://hiighnooning.tumblr.com/post/175516252906/my-yurionicebigbang-entry-i-got-to-work-with) and prompt for the YOI Reversebang 2018!  
> A huge thanks to my beta [Addy](https://iwritebetterthanispeak.tumblr.com/).  
> Also I would like to thank everyone from WWV who cheered me on, helped me make decisions and sprinted with me, y'all are true darlings.
> 
> This story would never have seen the light of day without Basia's endless enthusiasm, her cheer leading and questions whenever I was stuck.  
> Two other, big cheer leaders have been Ely and Mari and I have to say this: I'm so thankful for all your support, from all three of you. You gave me reality checks when I needed them and believed in my ideas when I couldn't.  
> Therefore I'd like to inscribe this fic to Basia, Ely, Mari and the WWV group. Thanks and hugs ♥

The sun stood low, casting pastel-coloured light over the plain before him. A cold breeze carrying the smell of grass, autumn leaves and approaching winter, dishevelled his long, silver hair, playing with it. With a frown he looked at the birch bark note in his hands again  
.  
“What does it say?” came the voice of the youngest mage in training, Yura, from behind him. 

“Celeste met an ice dragon on his travels. It says he was alone and spent most of his life without any contact with other dragons. Apparently he stayed with the dragon for a while, before sending him our way,” Victor answered.

“An ice dragon...” said Yura, trying hard for a disinterested tone, which made Victor bite his lips to hide his smile.

“Have you ever seen one?”

“No,” the boy answered quietly, as he stepped next to him.

“I would’ve been surprised if you had, to be honest. The last time I saw one was years ago and they were held captive. I wanted to free it, but didn’t have the means to do so. When I came back for it with everything I needed, they had resettled.”

“Hm. So what do we have to do now? Did the elf say anything?” Yura asked.

“No, nothing. He just informed us that we can prepare for another dragon to live here. But I will ride into the direction Celeste described him and try to find him before the hunters do. Then I’ll bring him here.”

Yura rolled his eyes. “A dragon needing an escort for safety. It’s ridiculous.”

“We can’t risk it. He might be the last ice dragon and the hunters found ways to be more successful. And again, we’re standing in a safe-place for magical beings here, our whole purpose is to protect them and ensure their survival.” Victor’s tone was strict, telling Yura that this wouldn’t be discussed – _again._

“I just think-”

“I know,” Victor said. 

The boy grumbled something in response, which would’ve earned him a stern warning from Yakov. Victor chose to ignore it. 

“All right, so when are you leaving?” asked Yura after a pause.

“As soon as possible, he’ll be close by now. I have to pack my things immediately,” Victor said, already turning towards the headquarters and the stable. 

“I’ll saddle Blaze,” Yura said curtly and stalked off towards the stable without waiting for a response, his shoulders set.

“Thank you!” the older mage called after him.

“Tch, whatever.” He didn’t turn back, but his shoulders were losing some of their tension.

Victor let out a quiet huff, smiling to himself and turned towards the array of simple, wooden houses that formed their headquarters. 

Upon entering his small house, Makka greeted him with an excited bark, hurrying over to him to demand her head scratches.  
“Makka! We’re going on an adventure,” he said, patting her, earning a tilted head and a nudge to his arm. 

Victor stood up from his kneeling position and started telling her about the dragon as he went through his house, collecting the things he needed in quick succession. Putting a neat bundle in his bag, he turned to the entrance.

“Come on, we have to go to the main building,” he said to Makka, who came trailing after him.  
With collecting the rest of his supplies – mainly spare gems, a medical aid bag, provisions, and an array of weapons, he finished packing and went to the stable.

 

Yura was already waiting next to their rust-brown horse. Blaze was prancing around, his gaze alert and curiously following Victor’s movements.  
“Took you long enough,” Yura grumbled.

“I hurried as much as I could. But thank you for helping me with Blaze.”

“I didn’t have anything to do anyway.”

Victor paused and looked up from securing his bags with the saddle-lashes.  
“Don’t downplay your efforts like that. It’s not a shame to help someone and receive their thanks. It’s not a shame to care for others.”

“I don’t care about you,” Yura said, his tone weak in his attempted defence. 

“If you say so,” Victor replied with a shrug before mounting Blaze in one swift movement. 

Handing him the tack, Yura made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat, before he stepped aside to let them pass. 

Once they left the stable, Yura was walking next to Blaze, Makka in his trail. Accompanying him to the secured borders of their safe-place in silence, only looking up when Victor stopped Blaze right before he was about to go through.

“Just make sure you return. I don’t want to be the only one Yakov yells at.”

“I’ll do my best,” Victor said, his tone fond as he looked down at Yura. 

Adjusting his hood so it overshadowed his face, hiding his hair beneath, he inclined his head.

“See you in a few days. Just make sure Yakov doesn’t overdo it.”

“Mhm.”

With one last look at Yura, he gave his horse the heels. A few metres and a repeated command later, Blaze fell into a fast gallop, Makka following them with a bark, keeping up astoundingly well for her age. He leaned forward over Blaze’s neck, keeping the reins tight and his knees pressed to his horse’s sides, making sure he stayed on top. 

Cold wind whipped in his face, pulling on his coat, as the land rolled by in flashes of dark green, brown, grey and blue. Down the path towards the Ural mountains in the east he rode, passing by some small hills and a swamp. 

Hours passed by and night fell over the land, silver moonlight breaking through the clouds. They’d travelled a good distance so far and Victor started to feel the exhaustion getting to Blaze, his tempo slowing and fur damp from sweat. He brought Blaze to a stop and jumped off him, to lead him to a group of trees close to the path. Tethering his horse to a tree, Victor unsaddled and took care of him, before setting up his and Makkachin’s camp for the night.

He walked towards near standing rocks, looked around, and placed a hand on one of them. In his mind he tried to imagine a small cave, the opening facing the trees and its inside big enough for him, Makka, his belongings, and a campfire. This picture clear in mind, he took a deep breath. Concentrating on the pulsing feeling of energy running through his body, his hand, and into the rock, the stone warmed and vibrated underneath his palm. Slowly, the rock transformed itself and grew into the cavern of his mind. Makka jumped aside with a bark and ran to hide behind Blaze, who had moved closer to the trees as well. As soon as he was done, the stone under his fingers stopped vibrating; he opened his eyes again and stood surrounded by nearly complete darkness. He walked out of the cave, took one of the gems from the small bag he wore tied to his belt, and lit it up with a jolt of magic energy, blinking a few times when its brightness blinded him. 

Not long afterwards a small campfire crackled in the midst of the cave. Victor lay in his makeshift bed on the ground, his cloak pulled on top and Makka snuggled up to him, snoring quietly. Watching the flames, his eyes fell shut and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

 

Faint light fell into the opening of the cavern when Victor woke up with Makka still lying next to him. The embers were nearly dead, not providing any light or warmth anymore and the smell of musty soil, moss, and cold campfire smoke filled the hollow and hung to his clothes. Stretching his arms over his head, he took a few moments to get fully awake. Next to him Makka started to stir and raise her head to look at him as he got up and started to pack. 

Swiftly, Victor took care of the preparations needed before they could continue their travels. When the cave was gone, with all the other traces of his camp vanished, he got back into his saddle. He could already make out the mountains in the distance, albeit faintly. As he rode towards them, he thought about ways to make it to the foothills by the end of the day. 

Trotting upcountry, galloping where he could, their journey led them between hills of green, along lakes glistening in the sunlight, passing the borders of forests and crossing small rivers, the mountains drawing nearer and shadows growing longer. After a while he sat back and pulled slightly on the reins. Blaze fell into a trot obediently, slowing further down, until he came to a halt. 

“Good boy!” Victor said, patting Blaze’s neck.

He tried to feel the buzz of magic energy flowing through himself - it was at the outer corners of his mind, barely there, harder to channel than last night and still, if he only concentrated enough... The buzz grew stronger, becoming clearer all the while he opened himself to it. Once Victor could feel it clearly enough, he let it flow, keeping the image clear in his head and whispering under his breath.  
“Where are you? Where are you now?” 

A picture of mountains flying by flashed before his eyes. 

“Ah, the Ural mountains… you’re pretty close already, huh? All right, come on, Blaze.” 

Blaze huffed in response, and began to walk again. Letting out a whistle, he called for his second companion, who had been exploring the hills ahead of them and immediately started running towards him upon his call. Ears flapping and tail waggling wildly, his beloved Makka returned to his side. 

“Good girl! Come on, we’re going again.” 

Makka barked and went ahead again, excitedly showing Blaze the way she had found through the swampland. After that there would be a dense forest, making a fast ride nearly impossible. 

Victor furrowed his brows as he thought about it, calculating the shortest way to the mountains.  
“I guess we have to ride the whole night, Blaze,” he said, stroking Blaze’s neck. “I’m sorry.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Cold wind blew over the dragon’s wide-spread wings as he flew over the mountains clad in snow and ice, howling around him when he descended to fly close over their tops. His crystalline, arctic-blue scales covering his body made him immune to the cold, his large, strong, leathery wings carried him safely through the air with a lightness and elegance remarkable for his size.

He treasured the freedom flying gave him. Soaring through the heavens set his mind at peace like nothing else, the clear air in his nostrils, the world underneath him, the limitless sky his realm. This was his home, his element. 

Lowering himself further, he flew between the mountains, his eyes raking over the dense firs covering the steep mountainsides and narrow valleys enclosed. He searched for rushes of reddish-brown between the firs, as deer were common in these mountains, and with his last prey lying a while back his hunger was growing, weakening and slowing him. Eyes narrowing, he rose just enough for a better view of the area. Not too far ahead was a clearing and with some concentration he could hear the faint burbling of a stream coming from the same direction. With slow and deadly-silent strokes he followed the sound of the stream. Soon he could make out the muffled, rhythmic clop of hooves on the soft ground, growing louder with his advance, turning into the panting of the flock. Their fur flashed through the dense woods, parting around the trees, running towards the clearing.

The dragon followed, hovering over them, careful not to throw a shadow and waiting for them to reach the lawn. Approaching fast the first deer crossed the glade, the rest following close behind. He readied himself. Listening closely, he could hear the last deer draw closer, its rhythm a bit off. His eyes were trained on the edge of the opening, where the flock began to thin out. And there it came, limping slightly. 

He shot down, his front talons out, snapping shut around the deer, his rear claws ploughing through the ground, his tail landing behind him with a dull thump. Birds fluttered from the trees, their panicked chirps filling the air. His prey thrashed in his talons, trying to break free with all its might. Swiftly he caught its neck with his fangs, snapping his mouth shut, and with an ugly, satisfying crack the deer went limp. Its warm, fresh blood trickling over his teeth and its flavour making him salivate. Letting out a huff, he laid down his prey, proceeding to rip parts off, bolting them down. Chomping and swallowing greedily, he tore the flesh from its bones. Fresh, glimmering drops of blood defiled his scales, the drying splashes darkening on his shimmering ice-blue, contrasting it.

When all that was left were bones and fur he began to lick his scales, cleaning them until they were spotless and shining again, leaving his claws for last. Sated and content he stood to make his way towards a close-by stream, winding through the narrow standing trees. He loved walking over the mossy ground, the feeling of it giving in to his weight, its softness dulling his steps to near silence apart from the occasional snapping of branches and rustling of leaves. 

The trees thinned out and the moss cleared, turning to the muddy ground of the bank. His claws sank into the soil, anchoring him, he bent his neck and savoured the taste of the clear, cool water in his mouth. 

Once his thirst was quenched, he made his way back to the glade, to continue his travels. If he didn’t get lost, he might make it there by tomorrow evening. Reaching the clearing he crouched down, tightened the muscles of his hind legs and unfolded his wings. With a beat of his wings he pushed off and shot high into the air, startling the birds in their trees again, their chirps following him.

The dragon’s strokes strengthened and he flew higher into the air, the low hanging clouds under him, his scales lighting up and reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun. Chasing the sunlight, he flew into the west. Occasionally, mountain tops broke through the thickening clouds, the snow covering them glistening and untouched. But the vanishing sun and dense clouds made it hard to navigate for him, forcing him back down to fly underneath the blanket of clouds and between the mountains. 

Breaking through the clouds, he took a turn to avoid crashing into the mountain ahead of him. The alpine scenery spread out before him and he could already see the mountains fading into a plain in the distance. Relief settled in him, knowing that it wouldn’t be long until his arrival.

Straining his eyes, he looked out for bright, warm spots of light in the woods and on ledges. Trying to catch a telling whiff of smoke, he wrinkled his muzzle, when a sweet scent hit him, biting and intense it mixed with the smell of campfire smoke, numbing his sense of smell.

Suddenly he heard a cracking sound to his left. Startled, he tried to see what it was, but his breath came short. His mind grew clouded, a clammy, cold feeling settled in his stomach, making his heartbeat speed up and his muscles tensing too much. He tried to ascend as quickly as possible, but his wings felt like lead, dragging, not moving as they should. Limbs struggling and tail thrashing around, he let out a frustrated growl, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his fogging mind and blurry vision. A buzzing sound rushed past his ear. Instantly, pain tore through his wing, making him cry out. Arrows rained down on him in a hailstorm. Their buzzing filled his ears, seeming to come from all sides they tore through his wings in fast succession, making him crumble and curl into himself. Desperately, he tried to protect his shredded wings as he fell into the depths of the valley beneath. 

Everything slowed down, his vision turning dark. He clung to his consciousness with all his might and tried to save his fall as he hit the first trees and tearing them down with him. Their old and strong wood groaned, creaked, gave in and broke under him. 

Thrashing out and trying to grab a hold on anything, he managed to turn just in time to land on his claws. His knees bent with the impact, his legs threatening to give out under him, his whole body shaking in anger and fear, claws digging into the ground and rooting him to the spot.

_Why?_ His breath was fast, his head still dizzy, time standing still.  
Shouts came through to him, yelling orders, getting louder.  
_Why did they attack him? What did they want?_

Another shout made him jerk, unfreezing him. With a lunge he started to run as fast as he could, not really looking where he was going, scraping along the trees, his claws throwing up the soil and moss, breaking through roots. Still the shouts were coming closer. Slithering to a halt in front of the foot of a mountain he panted hard, thoughts turning and turning. There was no way out. He couldn’t climb up there, not like this. They’d cornered him. 

Anger surged through him and cleared his foggy mind, his fear turned to desperate fury, pulsing through him, giving him the strength he needed. Turning around and digging his talons firmly into the ground, he crouched down. Making sure his wounded wings were closely folded to his body, his muscles were pulled taut, his concentration on the sounds of the nearing hunters. Any moment now. Closing his eyes briefly he felt the cold fury taking over him, his throat turning icy, the air around him cooling and he felt it, kept it in place. 

The first man broke through the trees, followed by several others. He opened his jaws with a hiss, shooting sharp shards of ice, tearing the first man down.

“Take cover!” one of them, a bald and tall man, yelled.  
Following the order immediately, the others rushed to get behind the trees, arrows drawn and pointed. 

“Why is he still able to do that?”

“Don’t ask me, get Andrej! Where is he when you need him?” the bald man said, sending one of them off. 

“What’s with Ivan, sir?”

“Doesn’t look good. Leave him there.”

The dragon swayed as he kept his eyes on his enemies, while following their exchange, pondering if he could attack them again now or if he should save his power. They wouldn’t leave their cover for now… Deciding to test it he opened his mouth again, as if to attack and hissed. Immediately, an arrow came flying, aiming for his opened jaws. Snapping them shut the arrow hit his scales, making it fall to the side. 

“Is it close?” a new voice came.

“Just ahead.”

“Andrej!” called the bald man out. 

Light appeared between the trees, flickering, carrying that biting, sweet and rich scent with it. He felt its effect instantly. His head started to ache, his eyes began to water, his limbs felt heavy and his ability to spit ice shards seemed to have vanished. 

Just what was that stuff they burned? Why did it affect him that much? His heartbeat sped up and he couldn’t keep a shiver from running through him. 

The hunters emerged from behind the trees, weapons drawn and ready, they split into two groups, circling him in. At last a new figure came forth, face hidden behind a hood, he carried the torch. 

“Careful, men. The beast is still powerful.” the torch-bearer said with a sneer. “Let me finish my job first.”

Plunging the torch into the ground, he knelt down and drew his sword. The dragon watched, dread filling his veins, as the man held his sword over the torch, letting the flames caress its length. All the others stood ready, waiting for their sign. Turning his head, he wavered, his movements clumsy and his head foggy. His thoughts came slow and his heart raced as he stumbled towards one group of men. Raising up on his hind-legs, deathly-sharp claws out, he struck down. Shouts echoed. The huntsmen scattered apart, dodging his blow. Hissing, he struck out over and over again, his blows heavy and far too slow. 

Metal rustled behind him. A short spear whistled through the air, carrying a chain along with it, hitting his neck as the spear bore into the ground next to him. Stunned, he turned his head, looking for the thrower. He stopped short, the torch-man eye to eye with his sword drawn, torch held high in the other hand. 

“Give up, you cannot win against me!” the man screamed, an ugly grin distorting his face. 

The dragon tensed, the torch smoke biting his nostrils with full force, making him retch. He opened his jaws wide and tried to attack. But his opponent moved with ease. Dodging, followed by a fast stroke, the man drove his sword into his gum. A howl escaped him, pain searing through him. His jaws went numb. Pulling the sword back, his attacker lunged at him.

Trying to avoid the hit, the dragon scrambled back, the sword’s tip only scratching his breast scales.

Quickly, the hunters moved around them. Again the rustling of chains sounded, coming from all around him. With shouted commands the chains were thrown, raining down on him, hitting and dragging over his scales and his wounded wings. He cried out and cowered down. 

A strong tug on his neck whipped his head around and kept him in place. Chains pulled taut, firmly held by the hunters.  
“Hold it like this!” commanded the bald man. “Chain its legs! Bind its wings!”

The men hurried to comply, while the man with the torch stepped close to the dragon, the tip of his sword kissing the spot right next to his jaw joint.

“I’d stay this way. This blade has the power to tear through your scales,” he said, voice dangerously low.  
Fetters clicked shut around his ankles and chains were fastened around his wings. 

“If you don’t listen to our orders, those lovely chains will be able to cut off your wings.” he continued, sounding disinterested. 

Breathing hard, the dragon looked around and hopelessness settled in his heart. They’d captured him. Wounded him. An iron, bitter taste filled his mouth. Tiredness filled his limbs and turned them to lead. He hung his head low in defeat, waiting for them to be done.

“That’s right. Now you’re behaving.” the man said, his sword not moving from where it touched him. 

Chains were tied and fastened around his jaws.  
“Just to make sure you won’t lash out,” he said, sheathing his sword at last. 

“Alright! Let’s get going. If we’re lucky we’ll reach the foothills at twilight. We’ll take our night’s rest then!” the bald man ordered.

Several men rushed to take hold of his chains, pulling at them to make the dragon move along. The torch-bearer walked in front of him, together with the bald man he was the head of their group, leading their way through the woods with ease. 

The dragon’s steps were small and slow enough for the hunters to keep up. His power drained, he could only follow them. 

Their short journey went by fast, the huntsmen staying silent most of the time. Dragging his talons over the mossy ground, the dragon staggered forward, feeling numb and sick, the sweet smell of the torch smoke masking the fresh air of the forest. The light of its flame danced before them, showing them their way.

Birds flattered out of their trees where they passed, chirping in dismay and fleeing from them. Upon hearing and smelling them, the other animals seemed to flee as well, for the forest was devoid of any life. From time to time they had to deviate from the path, the dragon being too tall and broad for some branches to fit through them. 

When they emerged from the woods, the sun had set. Blue-violet hues of twilight painted the scenery, stars blinking through the clouds occasionally. Mist was rising from the forest, wafting over the plain in the distance with the wind picking up. Deciding to set up their camp for the night here at the foothills, they went on to make a fireplace and two went to refill their water hoses. 

The man with the torch approached the dragon, bringing pegs with him.  
“We will rest here for the night. But I still need to do a tiny little thing with you...” he trailed off.

Taking his chains, the man sorted them in two bundles, laid each bundle down and drove the pegs through them, and deep into the soil. He kept kneeling for a moment, brows furrowed in concentration.

A moment later the dragon felt his legs go numb and as much as he tried, he couldn’t move them. The man rose his gaze to meet his eyes. Taking his sword from its sheath, he ran it over the flames of the torch, just like he did earlier, before he came closer to stand over him. 

He reached back with his sword, aiming at the dragon’s chest and with one swift move, he drove the blade through his scales. Howling with the hot pain surging through him, the dragon’s back arched and darkness embraced him. Gladly he sunk into it, leaving his pain and consciousness behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will come back for more.♥ 
> 
> Visit me on [tumblr](https://and-then-yoi-happened.tumblr.com), my ask box is open and I love to reblog all the beautiful fanart that I can find.


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